Saturday, December 15, 2012

Five semi-useful things to know: Wright State

1.) Wright State is 6-3 and has alternated losses and wins
since opening the season 3-0. Whoohoo! They’re due for a loss! The Raiders have
two players averaging in double figures (Cole Darling with 11.8 ppg and Miles
Dixon with 10.0 ppg) but have nobody averaging even four rebounds a game, which
makes for a good matchup with a Dutchmen squad that has struggled on the boards
since the loss of The Guy Who Used To Wear Number 1.

2.) This is the second all-time meeting between Hofstra and
Wright State, after that brutal Bracket Buster in February 2011. The Raiders,
who play in the Horizon League, have no common opponents with the Flying
Dutchmen this year.

3.) It’ll be interesting to see how the Dutchmen look after
a full week of practice—their first full week of practice, sans games, since
the four knuckleheads were arrested. I’d expect roles to be better defined and
perhaps some of the rust to be shaken off by players such as Darren Payen,
Jordan Allen, Matt Grogan and even Taran Buie, all of whom were thrust into
playing far bigger roles than envisioned prior to the arrests.

4.) Perhaps a week in the gym helped the Dutchmen shake the
terrible shooting slump they’ve been in since the arrests, as well. The
Dutchmen are shooting 38 percent from the field in their last three games,
which includes a blistering 57.4 percent effort in last Saturday’s loss to Long
Island University, and an almost incomprehensible 51.3 percent from the free
throw line. Their poor performances at the free throw line likely cost the
Dutchmen wins against Wagner and LIU.

5.) It will also be interesting to see if the Dutchmen exhibit
any hangover from last week’s loss in which they blew a 16-point lead with less
than 12 minutes to play. The Dutchmen need a win in the worst way and coming so
close to beating an NCAA Tournament-caliber team—one that hasn’t lost at home
in two years—could have a lingering effect. Mo Cassara, who already had his
hands full trying to keep a decimated team upbeat, surely dug deeper into his
bag of motivational tricks this week.